Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

To Help Curb Opioid Crisis, FDA Head Wants To Promote Medication-Assisted Treatment

The FDA will issue guidance for development of new MAT options, promote efforts to decrease the stigma surrounding medication used to treat substance abuse disorders, and take further steps to promote the use of existing therapies, Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said. Meanwhile, lawmakers want the DEA to take on more authority to help fight the epidemic.

The Washington Post:
FDA’s Gottlieb Calls For Greater Use Of Medication-Assisted Treatment To Fight Opioid Epidemic
Scott Gottlieb, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, called Wednesday for the expanded use of medication-assisted treatments for opioid addiction, saying they could reduce overdoses and deaths. During a House hearing on the federal response to the opioid epidemic, Gottlieb said the agency will issue new guidance to manufacturers to promote the development of novel therapies, including ones that treat a wider range of symptoms. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) combines drugs and counseling to combat addiction. (McGinley, 10/25)

Bloomberg:
FDA Aims To Destigmatize Drugs As Treatment For Opioid Addiction
Some in the medical community, including former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, have looked down on using drugs to treat addiction to other drugs, instead favoring an approach that emphasizes changing behavior. Insurance companies have also been reluctant to cover drug-assisted therapy. (Edney, 10/25)

The Hill:
FDA Commissioner Pushes For Use Of Meds To Combat Opioid Crisis
"This stigma serves to keep many Americans who are seeking a life of sobriety from reaching their goal," Gottlieb said. "In this case, in the setting of a public health crisis, we need to take a more active role in challenging these conventions around medical therapy." Gottlieb has frequently said that combatting the opioid crisis is one of his top priorities. (Hellmann, 10/25)

The Washington Post:
Lawmakers To DEA: Use More Legal Muscle Against Opioids
Lawmakers urged the Drug Enforcement Administration to seek more legal authority if it is needed to battle the nation’s opioid epidemic, telling an official they are awaiting suggestions on how they can help stem the worst drug crisis in U.S. history. “Give us suggestions. Talk to us. We want to do the right thing,” Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-Fla.) implored at a hearing held Wednesday by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “We need to know the tools that you need to handle this. We’re on the same team with regard to this.” (Bernstein and Higham, 10/25)

The Hill:
GOP Chairman Threatens To Subpoena DEA Over Investigation Into 'Pill Dumping' In West Virginia
Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) on Wednesday threatened to subpoena the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for data on "pill dumping" in West Virginia that could be contributing to the state's opioid crisis. Walden said the agency is taking too long to comply with the Energy and Commerce Committee's May 8 request for information regarding drug suppliers pumping millions of opioids into the state West Virginia. (Hellmann, 10/25)

And in the states —

The Wall Street Journal:
Purdue Is Under Investigation For Opioid Painkiller OxyContin
Purdue Pharma L.P. said it is the subject of a probe by federal prosecutors related to its opioid painkiller OxyContin, adding to the mounting litigation the company already faces over its marketing of the addictive drug. Purdue said it has been cooperating with an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Connecticut and “will continue to do so until the matter is resolved.” It added that the company “is committed to being part of the solution to our nation’s opioid crisis.” (Randazzo and Whalen, 10/25)

NPR:
Court Weighs Addicted Opioid Users' Ability To Quit And Stay Drug-Free
Julie Eldred has been struggling with addiction to opioids for more than a decade and she says the criminal justice system punishes her for it. Eldred, a part-time pet caretaker in Acton, Mass., was put on probation last year for theft. She knew staying drug-free would be tough — especially at first, when she was going through opioid withdrawal. But, she says, she didn't have much of a choice. (Becker, 10/26)

Kansas City Star:
Body Cam Video Shows Parents Passed Out With Baby In Backseat
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office in Florida released a body cam video from one of its deputies that shows a couple unconscious in a car with an 8-month-old baby in the backseat. Both adults were arrested. The female passenger was charged with child neglect and drug possession. The male was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and driving with suspended license. The baby was found with a soiled diaper and was placed in the care of the Department of Children and Families. (Davis, 10/25)

Miami Herald:
Miami 10-Year-Old Died From Heroin And Fentanyl, Autopsy Shows
A 10-year-old from Overtown who mysteriously collapsed in June after walking home from a park was killed by a toxic combination of heroin and the powerful painkiller fentanyl, according to an autopsy released Wednesday. The finding confirmed that Alton Banks is the youngest known victim in South Florida of an opioid epidemic that has killed thousands nationwide in the past few years alone. (Rabin and Neal, 10/25)

Columbus Dispatch:
Suboxone Linked To Probe Of Whitehall Detox Center
Dozens of people receiving addiction treatment through Braking Point Recovery Centers — many of them in the process of detoxing from heroin — have been transferred or referred to other providers in the wake of state and federal investigations that hobbled the agency’s operations. (Price, 10/26)